Apparatus for stereoscopic work



Feb. 24, 1948. P. c. SMITH ET AL.

APPARATUS .FOR STEREOSCOPIC WORK Filed Jan. 27, 1945 PUMP SHE

N w? M ma w WKAI W N 5w PF Patented Feb. 24, 1948 rnr QFFIJCE APPARKTUSFORSTEREOSCOPIC WORK".

Perry;=G.Z Smith, Moorestown, and Frank E. Runge; Haddonzfleights, N. -J.,.assignors t0.-R3di0"COI' poration.of.-America,-a corporation of Delaware- Application January 27, 1945,-Serial No: $74,864

6 Claims-.-.- (Cl. 25049.5)-

The present? invention: relatessto' the produc tion' of "stereoscopic rimagesi' and more: particularlyv to such; images: fOr yiewing-wand: photo? graphing in'electron microscopess:

In the use of electron smicroscopes it hasabeen possible heretofore t0'ObtQilIFStGIGOSGODiCf effects by. taking pictures i ofa :specimen from different i angles, developing: the pictures wand-then eXamining them'byc a stereoscopic aid: '1 In such method" valuable area: to r'be examined 'and studied; so":

that muchi time. is: lo'st intaking rsets of pic tu'res from difierent angles: to ensure theibestr,

possible analysis of the specimen.

Some of the objects or the pre'sent: invention are: to provide anovel apparatus '---for:- producing 1 photographed; to provide an' appara'tus :whe'rein electron microscope specimens can ib'e viewed in three dimensions produced from difierent an gleswh'ereby-th'e areaaofa specimen can" be sum veyedso thatthe most -valuable area; for study can be 'photo'graphemrf tonprovide anapparatus a for producing threedimension images -and 'bymeans of which' the number "of -photographs of such images acan be reduced to aminimum; and to:provide otliers-improvements as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanyingdrawings; Fig? 1 rep-- resents diagrammatically: a system for: producinng: stereoscopic images embodying onerform of the'present invention Fig. 2 represents diagram-'- matically a system embodying a modified form of the invention; Fig::3 represents diagrammatical ly ra-system:.embodyingganother f orinof the in vention Fig: -i-is a graphrepresenting time of viewing allowed by: the systemof ifiiga 3; "and-"'- Fig. 5 represents a detailed schematic view, part-" Flori directing: the beams I. 2 .fiIIdzLlE3IfiPO1'X a speoi men I 4 two adjustable elements or electrodes l5 and 16 are located respectively adjacent the beams l2 and I3, and are so positioned as to 2", cause each beam *to ber directediuponnthe same-:2 portion of the specimen: but .from different ans; gles of approach;- As shown-the twobeamscons; verge. upon the specimen to :form the aspect angle 0, but this angle can='be"varied accordingsto conditions and for various techniques by moving :1:

the specimen 1-4 inearer toior-further away from the anode-cathode system "I I, while .at the same 1:. time adjusting thee-potential applied .to thetelec-z trodes lfi and I In order :that'ctwo :images correspondingre spectively to the:tworbeam1aspects:of: the speci-;. menscan be produced for'viewingor photograph ing; the beam l2iissoauseduto traversea focuse:-

ing and magnifying lens system |.1,:which'directs the aspect of "beamxa l2 uponi'a fiuorescentrscreen 18; while the beamll3iis icaused to'traverse a: focusing: and magnifying systemiiljj which :di-i Y rects the aspect "of: beam:.l3 :upon: a'fluorescent. i The tWO? screens: I [hand 2 I are: mounted preferablyjinithesame plane and spacedri apart s0 *thatxone.-.,eye"of an observer is opposite the screen is andwtheeother eye: opposite the: screen 2!. While some observers can, by:con=-::- centration. or: experiencep: get stereoscopic: perception without-the:aidkofa-separate lenses for their right :and left: eyes forof: a' screeni between" the lines of 'sight nfromthe right .eye and from: the left eye"to'thet:object,;a screenfi may be'ine' the'observers eyes,;mayrextend in "a plane nor+- maltorthe plane of'the 'drawing to a point near the screen I 8 and ziz l'. .Any other 2 stereoscopic; viewing aid'may be used:

The coating of the screens is preferablysuch asto have a relatively short persistence characteristic. When"v the: two? images are simu1-: taneously viewed by the observer the composite result is a three,dimension-image; While'for purposes of disclosurei'two: screens -are described it is to: be understood: that in practice a single screen will probably berrused "of a' size 'to permit r. both images to .appearithereon inrproperrelation f-orssimultaneous "viewing; Th'us,--:in the ap:

" pended claims; where; two'fiu'orescentareas are;

mentioned; such :phraseology is to be broadly interpreted as meaningatWo-x distinct screens or a single screemofisuch;;'size"'-as'will" present two' areas of fluorescence to two respective beams.

Irikthe for-m.ofttheinventionshovvn in Fig;"2;-. the chamber 22,7whiohr is part of ta vacuum:sys-" temy'is provided ,withixtwo independent electronbeam rsystems-gfisf aandzMlwhich respectively pro ject electron beams 25 and 26 upon the specimen 21, the said beams converging at a fixed selected angle in order to produce optimum visual effects. The beam 25 traverses a condensing lens 30 and the beam 26 traverses a condensing lens 28, so that each beam strikes the same specimen area at a different angle. After converging upon the specimen the two beams continue (each upon its projected path) in diverging relation to traverse respectively two focusing and magnifying lens systems 3l3la and 32-32a for directing respectively the two aspects upon two fluorescent screens 33 and 34, where the two images can be simultaneously viewed as heretofore explained. The electromagnetic lenses 3! and 32 serve to focus and enlarge the two images produced by the specimen 21, while the electromagnetic lenses 3m and 32a are the projecting lenses. The lenses 31a, 32a serve to produce a further enlargement of the focused images formed by the lenses 3!, 32 and also serve to produce correction for rotati-onal displacement of the images. This correction can be obtained by changing the current through these lenses, as willbe explained hereinafter. It should be noted that the specimen may be swung through angle so that larger or smaller angles than allowed by angle a can be obtained.

In the forms of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it is preferable toinclude a variable resistance 29 in the circuit of the lenses l1 and 20 in the case of Fig. 1 and of the lenses 3m and 32a of Fig. 2, for the purpose of restoring the position of the images to the same relation as viewed by the beams, as otherwise a distorted stereoscopic effect would result due to the rotational effect of the beam.

In the form of invention shown in Fig. 3, the vacuum chamber 35 has a single anode and cathode system 36 therein arranged to project an electron beam 31 upon a specimen 38 by means of a condensing lens 40. From the specimen 38 the beam traverses a focussing and magnifying lens system 4| which in turn directs the image of the area covered by the beam upon a fluorescent screen 42.

In order to obtain a stereoscopic effect, a rotatable shutter or chopper 43 is arranged between the observers eyes and the images which are alternately applied to the fluorescent screen 42 as shown in Fig. 5. The slits in the rotating chopper alternately expose the images to the eyes of the observer in synchronism with the applications of the electron beam to the specimen. The specimen 38, in this instance, is mounted for rocking by means including the cam 46 and cam follower 43 which are under control of a motor system 44 which alsois arrangedto rotatethe shutter 43. Thus, the control 44 can rock the specimen through the angle and at the same time synchronously rotate the shutter or chopper 43. As the specimen is rocked to the right, or position for the right eye image, the shutter 43 shuts off the vision from the left eye of the observer but allows the right eye to see one aspect on the screen 42. When the specimen is rocked to the left, or position for the left eye image, the shutter 43 allows the left eye only to see the different aspect on the screen 42. In Fig. 4, Y represents the time of viewing allowed by the shutter or chopper for each eye, whileX represents time in which fluorescent screen 42 must decay to a negligible amount. The

motion of the specimen, however, should be as nearly square wave as shown in Fig. 4. Thus, it will be seen that by viewing the two aspects al- 4 ternately with the left and right eyes of the observer the resultant image appears in three dimensions.

We claim as our invention:

1. A system for producing stereoscopic images in a partial vacuum, comprising a receptacle forming an evacuated chamber, fluorescent screen means in said chamber, means including at least one electron beam for producing on said screen means two images respectively formed by different angular projections of said beam means upon a specimen, said images appearing simultaneously on said screen means in side by side spaced relation, and said receptacle having sight openings exposing said screen; means to observation from the exterior of said receptacle.

2. A system for producing stereoscopic images in a partial vacuum, comprising a fluorescent screen, a source of projected electrons, means for supporting a specimen between said screen and said source, means to vary the angle between said electrons andsaid specimen to obtain effectively simultaneously two'projected images of said specimen from different angles, and means to focus said images upon said screen.

3. A system for producing stereoscopic images in a partial vacuum, comprising a fluorescent screen, a source of projected electrons, means for supporting a specimen between said screen and said source, and means causing said electrons to intercept said specimen'from two angular directions whereby two images of said specimen appear upon said screen in side to side spaced apart relation.

4. A system for producing stereoscopic images in a partial vacuum, comprising a fluorescent screen, a source of projected electrons, means for supporting a specimen between said screen and said source, means causing said electrons to intercept said specimens from two angular directions to produce two images of said specimen, and means respectively focussing the two images upon said screen.

5. A system for producing stereoscopic images in a partial vacuum, comprising a fluorescent screen, a source of projected electrons, means for supporting a specimen between said screen and said source, means causing said electrons to intercept said specimens from two angular directions to produce two images of said specimens, and means respectively focussing and magnifying the two images upon said screen.

6. A system for producing stereoscopic images comprising a fluorescent screen, a cathode-anode system for dividing anelectron beam into two divergent paths, means converging said beam paths upon a specimen, and means for simultaneously producing two images on said screen, said images being respectively formed by the different angular propections of said beam on said specimen.

PERRY C. SMITH.

FRANK E. RUNGE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

